Amarinder plans dharna in Delhi
Awankha (Dinanagar), January 27
The Punjab Government seems to be on a warpath with the NDA government even as Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today announced a dharna to be staged in New Delhi to protest against the non-payment of arrears to sugarcane growers and the non-lifting of sugar stocks worth Rs 570 crore.

Punjab launches Ashirwad Scheme
Patiala, January 27
The Punjab Governor, Justice O.P. Verma, yesterday launched a repackaged form of the Shagun Scheme of the erstwhile Akali-BJP government as the Ashirwad scheme at the state-level Republic Day function organised at the Polo Grounds here.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh takes the salute at the Republic Day parade at Ropar on Monday.

Protocol broken at R-Day function, alleges Mayor
Patiala, January 27
The Mayor may be the first citizen of the city, but this seems to have been forgotten at the state-level Republic Day function organised in the Polo Grounds here yesterday, with the first citizen being relegated to the very side of the first row of
dignitaries.

Eradi panel reopens casePunjab-Haryana water dispute
Chandigarh, January 27
After a gap of about 17 years, the Eradi Tribunal, that was set up to resolve the river waters dispute between Punjab and Haryana, has reopened the case.

A folk dancer from Punjab performs giddha at Teen Murti
House in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI

Pirzada admitted to hospital
Mohali/Patiala, January 27
Tamil Nadu cadre IAS officer Gurnihal Singh Pirzada, who was arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau in a corruption case, was admitted to the Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, yesterday following orders of his judicial remand till February 9 by a Kharar court.

Attack on Zaffarwal: police terms it ‘drama’
Zaffarwal (Gurdaspur), January 27
The police here today described the story of “attack” on former militant Wassan Singh Zaffarwal at his village on the eve of Republic Day as “high-level drama” by him to get security.

Pak delegation list sent to PMO
Chandigarh, January 27
After the clearance of the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh's visit to Pakistan, another clearance for members of his entourage comprising ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats and businessmen is keenly awaited from the Prime Minister's Office ( PMO).

SAD dilemma over organisational poll
Chandigarh, January 27
The SAD had planned to complete the district-level organisational elections by February 20 and to elect the Party President after a week or so by calling a delegate session. However, the party is now in dilemma as a section of the SAD leadership is for postponing the organisational elections in view of the Lok Sabha elections.

Cabinet expansion: govt seeks legal opinion
Ludhiana, January 27
The Punjab Government will seek a legal view on the question of Cabinet expansion in view of the recently introduced Anti Defection (Amendment) Act. This was stated by Punjab Agriculture Minister, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, soon after the Republic Day function here yesterday.

Martyrs remembered on Republic Day
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 27
Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang, Minister for Animal Husbandry and Sports, unfurled the National Flag at the district level Republic Day celebrations held at Mata Gujri College Stadium here. He took the salutes from the contingents of the Punjab Police, the Home Guards and NCC cades, Mr S.K. Ahluwalia, Deputy Commissioner, and Mr Shiv Kumar, SSP, accompanied the minister.

Railway overbridge to become reality
Patiala, January 27
Thirteen years after the project was first put in the railway work programme and nearly two and a half years after its foundation stone was laid by former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the work on the overbridge over railway crossing No 22 or the “22 number phatak” as it has been made famous in Punjabi songs, is finally going to start taking shape from January 30.

Skeleton attracts devotees
Mehraj (Bathinda), January 27
A skeleton claimed to be of a saint in meditating posture along with a fire pot was found during the digging of earth for laying the foundation stone of “Sach Khand” hall of a gurdwara in this ancestral village of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Dalit family alleges police atrocities
Pathankot, January 27
A Dalit family here has alleged that officials of the Basroop police post near here forcibly evicted them from their house and axed more than 500 trees on the land of Dalits in alleged connivance with members of a land mafia.

Dalits seek abolition of SC/ST panel
Amritsar, January 27
Dalits have sought the abolition of the National Commission for SC/ST and demanded constituting of a national judiciary commission comprising acting or retired judges of the Supreme Court or High Court belonging to these communities.

Dharna against death in custody
Sangrur, January 27
On the call of the Ravinder Hatiyakand Action Committee, a large number of villagers today staged a dharna in front of the Sherpur police station alleging that the police has failed in arresting the DSP, the Sherpur SHO and other policemen, allegedly responsible for the death of Ravinder Singh (25) in police custody on January 18.

1 dies after taking tea
Faridkot, January 27
Week-long celebrations for a seven-member family of Bishnandi village in Jaito subdivision in the district turned sorrow when an elder member of the family died while others fell unconscious after consuming tea at their residence on January 24 at 7 am.

One dies in wall collapse
Kharar, January 27
A mason-cum-contractor was killed while another mason and a labourer sustained serious head injuries when a wall collapsed here on Sunday night.

DIG’s gunman hurt as AK-47 goes off
Jalandhar, January 27
Head Constable Ashwani Kumar, a gunman of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau DIG, Mr Ishwar Chander, was injured while cleaning his A.K.-47, which went off accidentally, at Mr Chander’s Old Baradari residence on Monday.

PF Dept recovers Rs 15 lakh
Amritsar, January 27
The Provident Fund Authority today recovered the PF dues worth more than Rs 15 lakh from Partap Paper Mills, Jaintipura Batala. The authority recovered Rs 1.5 lakh in cash while more than Rs 14 lakh by way of attaching the bank accounts of the mill.

High Court
Petitions on ad hoc ASIs disposed of
Chandigarh, January 27
A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today disposed of bunch of petitions seeking directions for reversion of Assistant Sub Inspectors working on ad hoc basis after state counsel informed the court that all the petitioners had been promoted.

Murder of 32-yr-old confuses police
Jalandhar, January 27
The murder of a 32-year-old employee of a Jalandhar-based forging factory, who was shot dead by some persons near a sugar mill while he was returning home in this township on Monday night, has shocked residents and confused the police. The police has not been able to pinpoint the reason behind the murder which took place at 8.30 p.m. near the Bhogpur Dasehra grounds.

3 held on
the charge of killing friend
Hoshiarpur, January 27
The police has identified the body of a young person recovered in the forest area of Chohal village on January 20, 2004 and arrested those involved in the murder.

25-lakh UGC grant for college hostel
Fatehgarh Sahib, January 27
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has sanctioned a grant of Rs 25 lakh to Mata Gujri College for the construction of a girls hostel. This was stated by Dr Gurmohan Singh Walia, Principal of the college, while talking to The Tribune.

Industrial housing applicants face uncertain future
Chandigarh, January 27
Thousands of applicants for industrial housing in Mohali face an uncertain future following a renewed move by the Punjab Government to allot the land meant for these houses to a controversial “integrated mix land use real estate development project” promoted by a liquor baron.